Eaves trough and supporting bracket therefor



Oct. 9, 1962 B. SINGER 3,057,117

EAVES TROUGH AND SUPPORTING BRACKET THEREFOR Filed Feb. 9, 1959 INVENTOR.

BEN L.SINGER ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofifice 3,057,! 17 Patented Oct. 9, 1962 3,tl57,117 EAVES TRQUGH AND SUPPORTING BRACKET THEREFOR Ben L. Singer, 5524 Darlington Road, Pittsburgh, Pa. Fiied Feb. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 792,142 2 Claims. (Cl. 504) This invention is for an eaves trough or rain gutter, and hanger therefor, and while my invention is particularly useful for gutters formed of plastic, it is not restricted to such material. 1

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a gutter and hanger therefor of unique construction, neat in appearance, and readily adjustable to the slope or pitch of the roof in connection with which it is used.

A further object of my invention is to provide a gutter which can be extruded from plastic or aluminum and a hanger that may also be extruded.

A further object of my invention is to provide a gutter and hanger applicable to the various types of roofs generally used on residences, and a gutter and hanger that does not require any nailing through the shingles, and which can be installed without disturbing the shingles.

These and other objects and advantages are secured by my invention which may be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a transverse view through a gutter and hanger in one position;

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the hanger in another position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one of the hangers;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary transverse section through the bead on the gutter, showing how the pin holes may be at various angles; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the head portion of the gutter showing how different holes may be differently located.

In the drawings, 2 designates generally a gutter with a bottom 3, a front side wall 4, and a rear wall 5. At the top edge of the Wall 5 there is a neck portion 6 merging into a bead 7 of generally circular section. The bead is rigidly attached to the trough through portion 6, and offset to the outside of the plane of the side of the trough to which it is attached. This shape can be easily extruded from thermoplastic resinous material, such as dense polyethylene, cellulose acetate, or various other plastics, and may be of any desired color, an opalescent or translucent material being preferred to a clear plastic. Also the section so formed may be extruded from aluminum.

The hanger for the trough is preferably formed of extruded aluminum, but it, too, may be formed of plastic. It is preferably several inches to about a foot in length, but may be coextensive with the gutter if desired. It is of inverted angle section with a vertical leg portion 10 that is flat at the back, and at its top edge it has a forwardly extending flange 11. On the front face of the bottom leg there is a generally C-shaped portion having a top curved lip 12 and a confronting oppositely curved bottom lip 13, with a longitudinal opening 14 separating the forward edges of these curved lips. There is a circular space 15 formed within these lips, which is of a size to provide a working fit for the bead 7 on the gutter, While portion 6 that connects the bead with the side wall of the gutter extends through the slot.

The top flange 11 of the hanger has nail or screw holes 16 therethrough so that the hanger can be secured to the overhang of a roof, as shown in FIG. 2. The back leg of the hanger, above the top bead-engaging flange 12, has openings 17 therealong for screws or nails when the hanger is secured to a vertical surface of the building, as shown in FIG. 1.

It will be seen that because of the circular section of the bead and the corresponding elongated socket on the hanger, the gutter and bracket may be at various relative angles while the gutter will be transversely level. To hold the parts in the desired angular relation, pins 20 of aluminum or nylon or other weather-resistant material are passed through diametrically opposed holes 21 in the bracket, and holes 22 in the head of the gutter. Holes 21 are preferably factory drilled at intervals along the length of the bracket. Holes 22 may be drilled in the field or factory drilled at different angles along the bead, as indicated in FIG. 5, the holes in this case being spaced so as to avoid weakening the head as would be the case if they were all located in a single transverse plane. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the holes may be elongated in the direction of the length of the bead to eliminate too close accuracy in bringing the holes 21 and 22 into line. The bracket is made several inches long so that stresses will be distributed along a length of the bead of the gutter.

In hanging a gutter with the top flange 11 against the under surface of the eaves, as shown in FIG. 2, the hangers are usually secured in place first and then the gutter is slid endwise into position, since this will afford better access for driving the screws. Wedge strips (not shown) are inserted between the flanges 11 and the overhang of the caves of increasing thickness in one direction to give the desired slope toward the down spout. Successive lengths of trough can be joined by plastic cement or with accessories forming no part of the invention, and end caps can also be cemented in place.

While I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, various changes and modifications may be made in trough and hanger, depending on materials used, the styling which the manufacturer desires, or for other reasons, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. An eaves trough structure comprising a trough member and a hanger member, the trough member comprising an elongated gutter having a bottom and sides, one side having an upwardly and outwardly-sloping extension therealong terminating in a bead of generally circular section which is offset to one side of the gutter, the hanger comprising an angle section having a top flange and a depending vertical flange, the top flange having openings therethrough to receive fasteners for securing it to the under surface of an overhanging roof, the vertical flange having openings therethrough by which it may be attached to a facia strip under an overhanging roof, the lower edge of said vertical leg having spaced upper and lower curved lips extending therealong defining between them a generally circular space conforming to the shape and size of the bead on the trough member with the edges of the lips defining an opening through which the sloping extension of the trough passes when the bead of the trough member is engaged between the lips, whereby the hanger member may be secured under the overhanging roof selective by fasteners passing through the top flange or the depending vertical flange and the head of the trough member slid endwise into the conforming space between said lips on the hanger and thereby hinge the trough to the roof through said interfitting of the bead and lips so that the trough can be adjusted relative to the slope of the roof, and means for holding the trough in the position to which it is adjusted.

2. The eaves trough structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said last-named means comprises a pin passing through the lips of the hanger member and the bead of the trough member locking the bead against relative movement in the hanger.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 288,307 Campbell Nov. 13, 1883 4 Baker Dec. 14, Marberg June 15, Feltman Dec. 17, Weeber June 16, Zachman Aug. 10, Bowden Aug. 6, Showalter Aug. 26,

FOREIGN PATENTS Norway Nov. 11, France May 8, Switzerland Dec. 3, Australia May 2, 

